Italian Classics Seminar

Dr. Athanasia Worley, Latin Instructor

• $2,000 — Cover Dr. Worley's living expenses during the two-month Fulbright scholar program in Rome and Cumae, Italy.
• Impact approximately 100 students annually, grades 9-12. Directly supports the Latin I and Latin IV (IB and AP-Vergil) curricula.
• Curriculum areas involved: Latin, English, and Social Studies

Dr. Worley won a Fulbright award from the U.S. Department of State for the Italy Classics Seminar for summer 2006—an exceptional opportunity. There were 10 openings nationwide, restricted to secondary and community college faculty teaching Classics and holding a Masters degree in Classics. The Fulbright program pays tuition and airfare, leaving an estimated $5,500 for living expenses unfunded.

The Italy Classics Seminar consists of both the six-week Classical Summer School of the American Academy in Rome, and a two-week program at the Villa Vergiliana at Cumae. The American Academy program focuses on the material culture: art, architecture, and epigraphy. This seminar is an unusual opportunity to visit most of the major sites around Rome in a connected way and with specialists in the field. The Vergilian Society’s program focuses on Pompeii, the ancient ethnic mix in the Bay of Naples, and on sites pertinent to Vergil’s Aeneid. This program is in direct support of the Latin I and Latin IV (IB and AP-Vergil) curricula.

The SME Latin program is comparatively small, but very competitive, with students winning prizes and awards, gaining admission to top colleges and universities, and in some instances continuing their studies in Classics. Most Latin students report gains in English vocabulary, grammar, and standardized test scores, as well as increased interest and knowledge in their social studies courses.

Grant awarded July 2006